Over 20% of young Indians are jobless

More than 20 per cent of Indians in the 15-24 age group were jobless and seeking work, according to startling data released by Census 2011.

In absolute terms, this army of unemployed youth is staggeringly huge — around 4.7 crore of which 2.6 crore were men and 2.1 crore women.

These definitive figures for 2011 reveal the deep and pervasive unemployment that has gripped India since the past decade even as economic growth was zooming along at over 8 per cent per annum for most of this period.

The figures include the entirely unemployed and marginal workers who get work only for up to six months in a year.

Overall, the unemployment rate among the working age population in the 15-59 age group was a worrisome 14.5 per cent, including marginal workers seeking work.

In the 25-29 age group, the unemployment rate was nearly 18 per cent. Even among those in the 30-34 age group, nearly 6 per cent were unemployed, numbering over 1.2 crore.

One myth busted by this age-wise data on workers and non-workers is that young women do not want to work either because of family responsibilities or social disapproval. While the bulk of non-workers are indeed women, among younger women 20 to 29 years of age, the share of those seeking work is the same as for men in the same age group — slightly over 20 per cent. This is the new generation that is relatively better educated and wants to build a better life, but the opportunities are not there.

This finding is in consonance with the fact that women are getting married at a later age, and having children at an even later age than before.

In urban areas, nearly 18 per cent of the 15-24 age group is seeking work while in rural areas the share rises to over 21 per cent. In both rural and urban areas, the share of young women seeking work is high at 17 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. So, young women wanting to work is no longer just an urban phenomenon.

Article courtesy The Times of India. Read the complete article at this link.